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Topic: Crossing the Border (Read 29800 times)

1. Do I need a passport?Generally, American and Canadian citizens may cross the border withoutvisas or passports. However, it is always a good idea to carryidentification with you, especially if you are a naturalized citizen.Citizens of other countries should have a passport or appropriate papers.

2. Are my driver's license and car insurance good across the border? Both countries accept a valid driver's license of the other country. Proofof insurance is required if there is an accident. US drivers are still required to have an insurance card that specifically states their insurance is valid in Canada, since US policies do not automatically apply outside the US. Most US insurers in fact do cover travel in Canada as part of their standard package and US insurers will provide a free Canadian Proof of Insurance card upon request.Laws vary from province to province and state to state. Make sure you have you vehicle registrationwith you. Use of seatbelts is mandatory in most provinces. Radar detectors are illegal in most provinces

3. Can my pet cross the border?Cats and dogs are welcome in both countries provided they are in goodhealth and have a current rabies vaccination certificate, if they are overthree months old. Other animals are subject to restriction. See Below

4. Should I exchange my money for the other country's currency? Yes, and you will get the best rate at a currency exchange or bank close tothe border. Americans can expect to receive a bonus in Canadian dollars andshould remember to use the bonus percent in figuring real cost.

5. Can I bring my gun across the border? Handguns may not be brought into Canada. There are categories of otherprohibited guns and restricted guns. Hunting rifles and shotguns areallowed with a required registration and a $50(C) fee, payable at the border. When entering Canada, declare all firearms at Customs. More Information Below

Similar rules apply in the U.S., firearms for hunting and lawfulsports are allowed. All other firearms and ammunition are subject torestrictions.

6. What does "Duty" mean?Duty is a charge imposed on certain goods brought into a country to protectnational industries. A certain amount of merchandise is allowed in dutyfree, depending on how long you have been out of the country. ContactCustoms to find out duties on goods that are in excess of your duty freeallowance.

7. Can liquor be brought across the border? Yes, liquor may be brought into both countries. The regulations and amountsallowed without paying duty are listed. Liquor brought into the country youare visiting must be for personal use and not a gift.

8. What are the benefits of duty free shops? By purchasing your allowance of duty free merchandise at a duty free shopyou avoid paying ALL taxes and duties including normal excise tax and salestax. The savings is usually 30-60% off the prices you would normally payelsewhere. Liquor, cigarettes, perfumes and imported gifts are greatvalues.

9. Can I purchase at a duty free store going in both directions? Yes, you may purchase duty free items for use in the country you arevisiting and you may purchase items to take home, if you meet the minimumstay requirement.

10. What will customs officials ask at the border? When visiting the other country, you may be asked where you live, yourcitizenship, the purpose of your trip, and how long you intend to stay. Youmay be asked if you have any goods that will be left behind. There may bespecific questions about alcohol, tobacco and firearms. If you have made aduty free purchase, just state how much you have brought.

When returning home, you may be asked what you have purchased. Oraldeclarations are the general rule, however, a written declaration may berequired.

If you have specific questions please contact Customs and/or ImmigrationOfficials.

U.S. Residents After a 48-hour absence, once every 30 days, your personal exemption is$400.00 U.S. which may include the following: 1 litre of alcohol and 200 (1carton) of cigarettes or 100 cigars. U.S. Customs has increased the allowance for returning Americans for anabsence of less than 48 hours. They may now purchase up to $200.00 U.S. perperson of merchandise excluding liquor and tobacco. Following is the U.S. regulations that confirms the change: 19 USC 1321 (a)(2) (D). Admit accompanied articles which don't qualify for provisions ofHTSUS 9804.00.30 or 9804.00.70 free of duty, fees and taxes

Canadian Residents Personal exemptions: After a 24 hour absence your personal exemption is $50Cdn. After an absence of 48 hours your personal exemption increases to $200Cdn. and after 7 days it becomes $500 Cdn. You can include alcoholicbeverages and tobacco products after a 48 hour absence. The followingconditions apply: Tobacco products - anyone aged 18 or over can include up to 200 cigarettes,50 cigars or cigarillos, 200 tobacco sticks, and 200 grams of manufacturedtobacco. Alcoholic beverages - if you meet the age requirements set by the provinceor territory where you re-enter Canada, you can include up to 1.14 litres(40 imperial ounces) of wine or liquor, or 24x355 ml (12 fl. oz.) cans orbottles of beer or ale. Every six months, with a minimum 72-hour stay, you may enter $100.00 U.S.of gift merchandise into the U.S.

ENTERING CANADA

U.S. Residents For a visit of at least 24 hours, the following may be entered Duty Free:40 ounces of alcohol or 24 bottles/cans of beer and 200 cigarettes (1carton) and 50 cigars and 200 grams of pipe tobacco. Gifts valued at $60.00 (Canadian) may be entered Duty Free, however, thismay not include liquor or tobacco products. Foodstuffs, up to a two-day's supply per person, may also accompany youupon your entry to Canada.

Canadian Residents Any number of times a year, after a 48-hour absence, your exemption is$200.00 Canadian, which may include: 40 ounces of alcohol or 24bottles/cans of beer and 200 cigarettes (1 carton) and 50 cigars and 200grams of pipe tobacco. After an absence of 7 days or more, your exemption is $500.00 (Canadian),which may also include the above-mentioned items.

What about food? There's been reports that you cannot take chicken or beef into CA. What about meat that has already been cooked and frozen? And fresh fruits and veggies? How bout pepper spray? Do crossings differ, depending on where you cross. Such as from MI, or Mont., or Wash.?

What about food? There's been reports that you cannot take chicken or beef into CA. What about meat that has already been cooked and frozen? And fresh fruits and veggies? How bout pepper spray? Do crossings differ, depending on where you cross. Such as from MI, or Mont., or Wash.?

Barb

Yes it does vary depending on where you cross and from where you are coming. Spring before last we traveled with a group of friends, all from the Phoenix area, and crossed the border at the north end of I-15. All chicken and chicken products were confiscated, even dog food, because of a disease then affecting the flocks in AZ. Border crossing in the east had no such problems. Restrictions vary by crossing, current concerns about various food products and such. It is best to check with your anticipated crossing and find out which restrictions they have in place.

The copy of Steve's message that was put int the forum library here was already updated. Here's the content of the update:

"Note: Effective January 1, 2007 U.S. immigration requirements changed to require a passport when crossing into the U.S. from Canada or Mexico. This was subsequently changed to require a passport if arriving by boat or airplane and the deadline for passports if traveling by land was extended to January 1, 2008. Travelers are advised to check with the Department of Homeland Security for updates/changes to this policy."

We don't attempt to routinely go back to old messages/topics on our message boards looking for information that might have changed.

Barb mentioned pepper spray. It's illegal to take it into Canada from the U.S. Last year we entered Canada from Michigan. When they asked us about whether we had guns, the next question was whether we had Mace or pepper spray. No questions that day about food products. Can't recall if they asked about tobacco and alcohol, but they generally do.

Apparently, the US Government will allow certain types of upgraded ID that they are trying to build into Drivers licenses, and they hope to have them available before it comes into practice Jan 2008. As far as Canadian customs, a valid picture ID is still ok, but you gotta get back home. As for guns, etc, please leave them at home. Every year there are people who end up in trouble trying to get them through customs, and we don't walk past it if they get caught. Just last week an RV'r had a hand gun hidden in the rig, lost it plus a big fine.

The link above on Firearms Importation to Canada did not work. I'm interested in hunting in AK (not Canada) as well as bear/critter protection for our extended hikes and wanted to know the protocol for taking long guns and ammo through Canada. It looks like there is a prescribed method for doing so, even though it costs a few bucks. We will have U.S. Passports and no animals to worry about.

For those of you that have done this, is it possible to park on the US side and walk to Canada Customs with the necessary firearms paperwork before bringing your rig and firearms onto Canadian soil? My thinking is to simply double check with Canadian Customs that all the correct paperwork is in order and fees have been properly paid. If something is out of order, I can remedy the issue on the spot and/or if necessary come back another day rather than risk confiscation and other attendant issues by already being on Canadian soil. We'll probably cross into Canada from somewhere in the Northwest U.S. that are typically not busy with short distances between Customs Stops, rather than a busy spot with long distances between Customs Stops like the Ambassador Bridge out of Detroit.

If I can't sort this out, guess I'll just have to take the intercoastal from Bellingham which would be pretty expensive with a dually and a TT and we'd miss a beautiful drive up the ALCAN.

Yes it does vary depending on where you cross and from where you are coming. Spring before last we traveled with a group of friends, all from the Phoenix area, and crossed the border at the north end of I-15. All chicken and chicken products were confiscated, even dog food, because of a disease then affecting the flocks in AZ. Border crossing in the east had no such problems. Restrictions vary by crossing, current concerns about various food products and such. It is best to check with your anticipated crossing and find out which restrictions they have in place.

Recently I have had problems at the Windsor/Detroit border crossing going into the U.S. the border guards confiscated my hamburger that was cooked. Now, I travel in and out of the united states for business and this is not a common occurrence, but it does happen. Keep this in mind, because they are more likely to pull over your motor home or rig to check for food, (beef, chicken, exotic fruits and vegetables) hope this helps.

I am trying to find current information on travel across the border with temporary license plates and title. We are trying to purchase a trailer this week, and we will be driving from Texas to Calgary mid-October. We will return to Texas mid-November.

It is possible that our permanent plates and/or title might not be ready before our trip begins. We would obviously have registration papers, insurance, and temporary tags on the trailer. Is there any reason that might not be enough? Is there anything we've forgotten to consider?

I am trying to find current information on travel across the border with temporary license plates and title. We are trying to purchase a trailer this week, and we will be driving from Texas to Calgary mid-October. We will return to Texas mid-November.

It is possible that our permanent plates and/or title might not be ready before our trip begins. We would obviously have registration papers, insurance, and temporary tags on the trailer. Is there any reason that might not be enough? Is there anything we've forgotten to consider?

Tips: Both Yahoo and Google have domain based search engines. i.e. http://www.google.ca/. This takes you past all kinds of fluff that will mess you up if you were to go through google.com. Granted it can be cute for me to try to get google to let me search for crossing the border going south.

Always get links that end in ".gc.ca" or government canada. canada. Anything else is somebody's summary. I've done an article on 'rving in Canada', which I had to give up because keeping updtate was time consuming. By the government is the regulations & laws of the country.

I just this week purchased a "new" used car and we plan to go into Canada next week. Called AAA and checked with them about temporary plates -- well, they did not think it was a problem, but I decided it was better to talk to proper authorities. Started with Canadian Customs - very short and sweet - "not our area, contact Province Ministry of Transport". Called Ontario -- French speaker wasn't much help, moved on to Quebec since I found an 888 number on line. VERY CLEAR -- NO WAY! Canada has agreements in place for inter-Canadian use of paper temporary plates, but NO such arrangements for any foreign nations! I quickly back tracked to the dealer and pushed to get a title overnight so I could have a permanent metal plate before departing for Canada.

First, let me say I'm new to the forum. We are going to Alaska this summer and obviously have to go through Canada. I saw the entry about a requirement that I have a proof of insurance form that shows it is valid in Canada. I called USAA, my carrier, who said that the law changed last year so that a valid proof of insurance in the US will be accepted for Canada. Thought you'd like to